‘Ninja Turtles’ re-boot delayed by studio

Paramount have delayed the release of Michael Bay’s Ninja Turtles until May 2014.

According to Variety, sources from the studio say the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles re-boot has been pushed back because the filmmakers felt they wouldn’t be ready to begin shooting the film in October this year.

It is also reported that the production team plan to work on the script over the next couple of weeks in order to beef up the material and bring the budget down slightly.

Bay will produce the movie with Jonathan Libesman behind the camera, and Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec writing the rebooted screenplay. The director/producer recently provoked the ire of hardcore after it was announced he plans to change the origin of the reptilian heroes to make them into alien characters.

To reassure fans of the change, and the shortening of the title to simple Ninja Turtles, Bay said: “This script is being developed by two very smart writers, with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles. They care VERY MUCH about making this film for the fans.

“Everyone on this team cares about the fans. Just give them a chance. Jonathan the director is a major fan of the whole franchise. HE’S NOT GOING TO LET YOU DOWN.”

Robbie Rist, who previously provided the voice of Michaelangelo, recently accused Bay of “sodomising” the legacy of the turtles.